Pearls!

Yesterday we went to Jimo Market. It is three floors of little stalls somewhat like a swap meet but they are always there. There must be around 30 that are pearls and jewelry. They have beautiful coral, crystal, jade and many colors of pearls. The prices are unbelievable (mostly because Jane have developed a friendship with a few of them and they say, "You are my friend. You bring me many people. I give you a good price." And they do give her a good price. She sold pearls in a jewelry store for three years so really knows quality. Charlotte is the only one who has told me what she wanted. I'll buy them as gifts for my daughters and daughter-in-law and will be happy to buy them for anyone else (within reason). They are small enough and light enough that I can bring them with me. I bought a peach colored and a rust brown string that is very different for myself. They have gray, brown, yellow, pink, peach, cream and white pearls. There are also lovely necklaces that are combinations of crystal and pearl. I have two put together for me because I like a longer necklace. Let me know!

Probably the best way to guess size is to know that Char's are the biggest pearls, by brown the next and they vary from there. Her box and bracelet give you a better sense of proportion.

These are called seed pearls. You can see that they have irregular shape and that the pearls have some blemishes. They are very cheap. This strand is 15" and shows how pretty the three colors look together. I can't remember because I bought this one a few weeks back but I think it was under $10. I think they make a beautiful necklace.


These crystals caught my eye and I bought them for Mom. The color doesn't show as well as I had hoped but there is a pale pink and a green at the bottom.

This is Charlotte's bracelet and a 42' necklace. I got a wonderful deal on them. You can tell by the size and brilliance that they are a fine pearl.

This is a combination pearl and crystal that I bought for Charlotte. They are really one very long strand and can be looped in various ways. The ring just snaps off and on. They were not very expensive but I can't remember--probably under $10.

These are my coral beads and I had the string made of three strands of different sizes. It is 44 inches and I will probably wear it looped into two strands.

These are my white pearls. They are 45" long and were cheaper than the ones that I bought for Charlotte. They are very fine quality pearls but are not as large or expensive as Char's.

These are a pale peach color. Both they and the brown ones are about 34" and hang just below my bust line.

These are my rust colored pearls. They are rare and we haven't seen the exact color again when we've gone. I love them. The are a brilliant gloss and a nice medium size. The next picture is a close up of the color.